Local Dishes in Kyushu Area / Okinawa Area

Gu-zoni(Nagasaki)

This is a traditional soup made in the Shimabara region of Nagasaki. Besides pounded sticky-rice cakes (mochi), it also includes morsels of meat, slices of pounded fish cake, and a selection of vegetables. It is served at New Year's, and also at ceremonial events and formal celebrations throughout the year.

Buri no atsumeshi(Oita)

One of the best-known specialties of Fukuoka Prefecture. Chicken including skin and bones is coarsely chopped, placed in cold water, and slowly brought to a boil. This is eaten with a ponzu dip, a zesty mix of soy sauce with citron juice. When the ingredients have been eaten, the leftover soup is cooked up with rice to make porridge, or poured over rice (similar to chazuke; tea over cooked rice).

Mizutaki(Fukuoka)

One of the best-known specialties of Fukuoka Prefecture. Chicken including skin and bones is coarsely chopped, placed in cold water, and slowly brought to a boil. This is eaten with a ponzu dip, a zesty mix of soy sauce with citron juice. When the ingredients have been eaten, the leftover soup is cooked up with rice to make porridge, or poured over rice (similar to chazuke; tea over cooked rice).

Suko-zushi(Saga)

Pressed sushi made with local Shiroishi rice and topped with slices of raw fish freshly caught from the nearby Ariake Sea. The fish is divided into portions about 10 cm square and decorated with colorful slivers of vegetables. This is a traditional recipe dating back some 500 years, first prepared by farmers as an offering to the local lord of the Suko region.

Keihan(Kagoshima)

To a piping-hot bowl of rice in a bowl are added morsels of chicken breast meat, shreds of omelet, and matchsticks of savory-sweet shiitake. Finely chopped pickled papaya and the dried peel of shima mikan (tiny mandarin oranges) are sprinkled on top. Pour in plenty of hot chicken broth and enjoy like chazuke (rice with hot tea poured over it).

Ikinari-dago(Kumamoto)

A local specialty with a local name: dumplings are made from round slices of sweet potato encased simply ("ikinari" in the dialect) in wheat-flour dough and then steamed. This was a popular afternoon snack during the years following the end of World War II, when food was in short supply.

Okinawa soba(Okinawa)

The soba noodles eaten in Okinawa are made of wheat (not buckwheat). After cooking, they are moistened with oil and served in a broth prepared from pork bones and bonito flakes. Slices of pork, fish paste, and chopped scallions are often served on top. The most popular variation is called soki soba, which includes cuts of pork rib.

Jidori no sumibiyaki(Miyazaki)

Chicken meat is cut into morsels, sprinkled with salt and pepper, then grilled at a high heat over charcoal until the meat is charred black. Local people love the flavor of the charcoal on the meat.

Shippoku ryori(Nagasaki)

During the Edo Period, Nagasaki was the only Japanese port open to trade with the outside world and developed a cosmopolitan character. The shippoku ryori style of cooking was adapted from traditional formal banquets in ancient China. Circular tables are arranged with a mix of Japanese delicacies, Chinese-style dishes, and also foods introduced by European traders.

Goya champuru(Okinawa)

In the Okinawan dialect champuru means "mixture." Goya champuru is a stir-fried mixture of sliced goya (bitter melon) and local tofu, with slices of pork. It is so popular it is considered the staple dish of Okinawa.